Sloppy Steelers Trail Texans 17-0 at Half Despite Promising Fields' Debut

Through the first 30 minutes of play inside Acrisure Stadium, the Pittsburgh Steelers trail the Houston Texans 17-0. So far, this preseason opener has been about the Steelers' inability to string together a good drive.

In a game that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin called an "audition" for Fields, the former Chicago Bears signal-caller came out sharp, completing each of his five of his six passes for 67 yards.

However, even with Fields nearly perfect through the air, the Steelers' first two drives ended in punts, as two failed snap exchanges upended the offense. And while the Steelers defense did an early three-and-out versus the Texans early, it couldn't keep C.J. Stroud and co. out of the endzone for long.

On their second drive, it took just three plays before the Texans found the endzone. Stroud found Tank Dell for a 34-yard touchdown pass, giving the Texans an early 7-0 lead.

After stalling out on their first two drives, the Steelers offense seemed to be finding its stride, as Fields found two straight completions for over 10 yards. However, just like the first two drives, the Steelers were unable to finish the drive, as Fields was sacked on third down.

This would be the last drive for the Steelers' starting offense. Following a punt from the Texans, Kyle Allen led the team on its best drive yet, advancing 73 yards and taking them all the way to the two-yard line.

However, Allen's pass was too high on fourth-and-goal for a wide-open Calvin Austin to reel in, turning a promising drive into a turnover on downs. The Steelers' poor execution didn't end there, though, as another three-and-out for the Texans was undone by a special teams turnover thanks to a muffed punt by Quez Watkins.

That special teams mistake proved costly, as Davis Mills's third-down heroics helped the Texans extend their lead to 14. Following Mills' 15-yard completion to Robert Woods on third-and-long, Dare Ogunbowale found the endzone with a four-yard touchdown run.

Following another Steelers punt, the Texans would add to their lead with an eight-play 62-yard drive in the two-minute drill, as they set up a 36-yard field goal for Ka'imi Fairbairn.

Related: Who's In, Who's Out for Steelers vs. Texans?

The Steelers will look to overcome the 17-point deficit come the second half, but they will have to wait as the Texans will get the ball first.

For more on the Steelers versus Texans preseason game, follow along with our drive-by-drive live updates blog .